No Matter What
by Brandy Marie Beaumont
Summary: Future fic. Sequel to The Notion of a Perfect Future. George/Izzie fic.
1. Chapter 1

**NO MATTER WHAT**

_Chapter One : A Notion Becomes Reality, Sort Of._

Izzie felt a tug on her left pajama pant leg. This tug was persistent and familiar to her. She let out a loud grunt and rolled over, pushing her face into her pillow, as if asking for just a few more minutes sleep. A few minutes passed, but now the tug had become a full-on cling. There was this creature stuck to her left leg.

"Tucker! Give mom a few more minutes, ok?" Izzie said, quite aggravated.

"I want some French toast." Tucker said, in his whiny voice.

"Go ask daddy. Let me sleep a little longer." Izzie said, moving her leg back and forth, trying to loosen Tucker's grip.

Tucker let go of Izzie's leg and leaped off the bed and headed around to the other side of the bed, where George lay, drooling all over his pillow.

"Eww Daddy!" Tucker said, with a crinkled face.

Tucker then began to poke George, to try and stir him out of his slumber. George of course let out a few moans, knowing he had to get up.

"Daddy. I want French toast. Mom said to ask you. Please, pretty please!" Tucker said, a huge grin spread across his face, his eyes glimmered from the light that came through the curtains.

"Oh she did, did she?" George said, nudging Izzie.

"Ok, come on Tuck! Let's go make us some French toast. None for mommy." George said, grabbing Tucker's hand, tickling Izzie's side with his other.

Izzie smiled a bit, then opened her eyes. She moved over and gave George a kiss before he left the room, running with Tucker towards the stairs. Izzie sat up in the bed, closed her eyes, and let out a sigh. Her day had started, and it was only the beginning…

"Iz! Brooklyn is calling for you!" George said, before heading downstairs with Tucker.

Izzie sighed. She then pulled the covers off of her, then slipped on her fuzzy pink bedroom shoes, and headed down the hall towards Brooklyn's room.

* * *

"Mmm…it smells great in here George!" Izzie said, carrying Brooklyn in her arms.

"Thanks! Tuck wanted me to try that new recipe you found in the cookbook, the one with orange and almond extract in it." George said.

As Izzie stood there holding Brooklyn, swaying her back and forth, she watched George help Tucker flip the French toast on the griddle and remembered all the times George had burnt it in the past and how amazingly he could make it now. She loved her George, her feelings hadn't faded over the last 8 years. They had become stronger. They had intensified. George looked over at Izzie and Brooklyn and smiled, knowing all he needed in life was in this room right now.

George then quickly snapped out of his daydream state and looked back towards Tucker, finished stacking all the toast on the plate, then helped Tucker down from the step stool and they both headed towards the table. Izzie sat Brooklyn down in her highchair next to her and grabbed her purple mug and took a sip of coffee. She felt it run down her throat, it was warm, strong, and sweet. It woke her up.

As Tucker ran towards the table to his seat, of course sweetly patting his sister on the head before sitting down, George said, "Hannah called while you were with Brooklyn earlier. She said she would be to the airport around 4 and she would call one of us when she has got her bag and all that stuff. I am thinking you will have to go get her though Iz, because I have a triple bypass scheduled at 5 and I am not too sure about traffic. Is that ok?"

"Sure. That should be fine. Oh! And I still need to go get the cake for tonight too. Do you think Miranda needs us to bring anything else, while I am at the store?" Izzie said, as she spooned applesauce into Brooklyn's mouth.

Miranda Bailey, that is. Over the past few years, both George and Izzie got to know Bailey on a first name basis. She was now one of their best friends, if not their one best friend. It had been 5 years now, since Tucker's death. At least his death was not a shock, it was something that Miranda knew was coming and they were able to deal with that. She did grieve the loss of her husband, but Will helped with that pain. Tonight was for Tucker. His memory.

"You should probably pick up a few bottles of champagne. I think Alex and Cristina are going to bring wine. Or at least that is what they told me last time I talked to them." George said, followed by a slight giggle.

"Alright. Will do…so, did Hannah sound ok on the phone?" Izzie asked with a sideways smile.

"She seemed ok. I did not get to talk with her too long. She was heading across campus and it was really noisy. I think she is just trying to stay busy and keep her mind off of him." George said, biting into his French toast, syrup dripping down his mouth, onto his shirt.

"That is what I am worried about." Izzie said, frowning.

George wiped his shirt off with his napkin, then wiped Tucker's face and told him to go get ready for school. Tucker then ran upstairs.

George went over to Brooklyn to give her a kiss and she spit up her mouthful of applesauce all over his face. George slowly put on a smile and poked Brooklyn playfully on the nose. Brooklyn giggled, with her soft, rosy cheeks.

"You are just a mess this morning, aren't you?" Izzie said, looking at the syrup-y, applesauce-y George.

"Haha. Funny. I think someone needs a kiss." George said, getting up, moving towards Izzie.

"No George! No!" Izzie yelled.

George grabbed Izzie's arms, so she could not go anywhere. He gave her a long, sweet kiss…then proceeded to wipe his face all over hers. Now they were both covered in applesauce.

"Thanks honey!" Izzie said, wiping his lips off.

"You are so welcome!" George said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

George then picked up Brooklyn, then headed for the stairs.

"Oh, wait. So, what is your schedule for today Iz?" George asked, Brooklyn's head leaning on his chest.

"I have two meetings with prospective bone marrow transplant patients. They are actually cousins. They are both girls. One is 10 and the other is 8. Then I have to interview about three others for the internship. I need one more, so two of them I will have to say goodbye to. That is gonna be really hard, these three interns are utterly brilliant." Izzie said.

"Wow! You are gonna have a busy day. Do you think you will have time to get Hannah? I mean I can get Cristina to cover my surgery if you need me to Iz." George offered.

"No, it's ok. I think I got it. Thanks George…Oh, are Callie and Matt coming tonight?" Izzie said.

"Yes, they are. I think he is bringing his famous chocolate soufflé. I know a week ago Callie told me she was making something, but I forget what it is now." George said.

"Great! I am really excited about seeing them again. How long has it been? Like 8 months now…?" Izzie pondered.

"Um, I think that is about right. Yeah, Matt and I really need to catch up. Tucker misses him too. We always have a blast throwing the football around!" George said, excitedly.

"Yeah. I know he does. Matt spoils that poor kid. Well, I am going to get ready. My first meeting is in an hour." Izzie said, getting up from the table, walking ahead of George at a faster pace.

"Ok! I am gonna clean up down here a bit and then get Brooklyn ready for Mer's. Can you check on Tucker? The bus should be here in like 10 minutes. He can't miss it again." George said, shaking his head.

"Alright. I will send him down and then I will be down soon. Love you George!" Izzie yelled from upstairs.

"I love you too, Iz!" George yelled back.

When they said those words to each other, it was almost out of routine. It was routine. But those words still held all the meaning that they first did when they were first spoken between them. When Izzie professed her love to him in the locker room…and when he told her he was in love with her in front of the whole O.R. Those words still held so much passion, so much truth, so much emotion. It was these kind of days that they hated the most. The days where they got so busy, they had no real time for each other, so all they had were those three words. And it was ok. Those words…were extraordinary.

* * *

They had been sitting in traffic for about an hour now. It had been pouring all afternoon long and many of the streets were flooded. Izzie had got held up at work with her interviews and George was able to get Cristina to cover for him at SG. So, George picked Hannah up at the airport.

"So, you glad school is over for a while?" George asked.

"Yeah. It was hard at times, but I met a lot of really great people in Brooklyn." Hannah responded.

"Yeah I bet. I remember I visited their once, when I was trying to find a place to do my internship." George said.

"What made you choose Seattle? All this rain?" Hannah said, giggling.

"Actually. Yes. The rain can be nice, you'd be surprised." George said.

"Hah. I guess…So, how is Iz?" Hannah asked.

"She is doing really well, can't wait to see you. And Brooklyn has grown so much since the last time you saw her." George said.

They finally reached their exit.

"Why are you taking this exit, George. The sign said it is a country road?" Hannah asked.

"This is the short cut I take every once in a while when I need to get home quickly. And we need to get you home. I bet Izzie and the kids are starting to worry." George said.

"Okay…well, I am really tired." Hannah said.

* * *

Izzie had just made it home and was decorating the living room with Tuck and Brooklyn. They were even painted signs for Hannah and there were balloons and streamers. They were so excited to see her…and Izzie needed to see George.

"Momma, when will daddy and Hannah be here?" Tucker asked.

Izzie was completely distracted with her thoughts. She could not put her finger on it, but something was wrong. _Really wrong._

"Momma…momma…" Tucker pleaded, tugging on Izzie's blouse.

"I don't know sweetie, they should have been here already. I bet daddy is just driving really slow because of the rain. Don't worry." Izzie said.

Izzie kneeled down next to Brooklyn as she colored on the poster board, watching to make sure she stayed on it and not on the table. Their new 2,000 dollar table, that is.

"Can I call daddy?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, sure. He always has it with him and never misses a call. My cell phone is on the counter in the kitchen. You remember what numbers to push, right?" Izzie asked.

"Mmhmm. The 202 one?" Tucker asked.

"Yes." Izzie replied.

* * *

Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was the fog. Or maybe it was the excitement of reuniting Hannah with Izzie that distracted him from seeing the school bus speeding in their direction.

No matter what had caused him not to see the car as George turned. It didn't matter why he didn't see it. It only mattered that he didn't see it. In an instant, their car was struck on the passenger side and began to roll several times and landed in a fully flooded nearby ditch. Both George and Hannah lay there unconscious as water began to fill the car.

* * *

"Mommy? I tried five times. Daddy is not picking up…" Tucker said, as he walked over to Izzie.

Izzie took the phone from Tuck and dialed George's number. It rang four times and then went to his voicemail.

"So, you've reached George O'Malley, or McYummy. See, my wife likes to call me that. It's cute, isn't it? Oh yeah…back to the message. Well, leave me a message at the beep. Later."

_Beep._

"George, where are you? I am worried. Is everything ok? Call me."

* * *

The screen of George's phone was flashing as it lay on the floor under the steering wheel in a pool of blood…


	2. Chapter 2

**NO MATTER WHAT**

_Chapter Two : Catastrophe._

George stood on the side of the road limping back and forth. _Oh my God. What did I do? Oh my…Gawd. What have I done? What am I supposed to do? _He thought, knowing his phone was completely covered in water and blood and therefore, utterly useless. He had barely managed to crawl out of the crunched up piece of metal, which was his pricey sports car only minutes ago. He was in terrible pain, but could still walk. Though, there was no way he had the strength to pull Hannah out. She lay inside the passenger side, or what used to be the passenger side, covered to her face in water and debris.

He continued to pace for what seemed to be an hour, but time was in slow motion for him, it had only been a few minutes. He looked over at the bright yellow school bus sitting in the middle of the road at an angle, where it had swerved to avoid colliding with his car. There had been no children aboard and it was around 6:30 now, as George looked down at his watch, the face of it, completely _shattered_. He figured he was unconscious for about an hour or so. The driver of the school bus was slumped over the steering wheel and obviously was not awake at the moment.

He waited on the side of the road, in hopes of someone driving by, but there was no one. Not a person. He looked in the distance and saw a light burning. He figured it must have been a porch light or garage light, so in an instant he sprinted for the flickering glow down the country road ahead of him. He was grunting as he ran, blood running down his leg. He was in severe pain, but at the instant he started running he became num and the only thing he could think about was getting Hannah out of that car and getting her to the hospital.

* * *

"Mommy. We are gonna be late for Ms. Bailey's party." Tucker said, with a sad face.

"No we won't, it starts at 7:00. Why don't you go upstairs and get your suit on. I will be up in just a minute to help you with your bow tie." Izzie said, comforting Tucker, as she rubbed his shoulder.

"Okay!" Tucker said, with a big smile on his face.

Izzie was really beginning to worry. _Where is he? Did Hannah's flight get delayed? Are they stuck in traffic? Why isn't he picking up his phone? _She thought.

"I will try calling him one more time." Izzie said, rocking Brooklyn back and forth in her arms.

_Beep._

"Well, honey. I guess we got our paths crossed. Maybe you thought we were just gonna meet at Miranda's. So, we will just head over there, it is about 6:45 right now. Can't wait to see you and Hannah. _Take care of my girl_."

* * *

An hour had passed since Izzie left her last message for George and she had become quite distracted at the party and had lost track of time. Alex and Cristina were not there yet. She thought that was weird, considering they always seemed to be on time. She figured they might have got caught up at work. They were both workaholics, but that was just who they were. Callie and Matt's plane had just landed and they were waiting for Mark and Lexi to pick them up. Derek and his wife, Cherri were there. She was a delightful woman and they really worked well together. She had been chatting off and on with them, as well as Miranda and some of her other co-workers from SG.

"Still no word from him?" Miranda asked, as she sat down next to Izzie on the couch.

"No, not yet. Actually, what time is it?" Izzie asked.

"It's about 8:00." Miranda said, as she looked down at her wristwatch.

"It is?" Izzie asked.

"Yeah, that is why I asked about George. Maybe you should go try calling him again. Why don't you step outside, so you can hear better. It's a little loud in here." Miranda said, motioning towards the front door.

"Okay. Can you watch them for me?" Izzie asked, pointing in Tucker and Brooklyn's direction.

"Of course, sure." Miranda said.

"Thank you." Izzie said, getting up from the couch.

* * *

Izzie stood outside on the porch. As the phone rang, Izzie glanced down the street and noticed a car jostling back and forth. There seemed to be a couple in the back seat. Well, you know…getting busy. The windows were dripping with condensation. _Looks like they're having fun._ She thought. For some reason the car looked familiar, but she could not put her finger on it. _Oh, well_. She thought.

George's phone again went to voicemail, but this time she just hung up and figured she would try again in a few minutes. She sat down on the nearby stair step. At this point, she was scared out of her mind. In a total of about five minutes she had gone from being completely distracted to being off the wall freaked out. There was something wrong. _Seriously wrong_.

After trying numerous times to reach George, she gave up. As she got up to head back inside, her phone rang. It was not George's ring tone, _Sexy Back_. The ring tone she had secretly put on her phone when she caught him singing in the shower, as she watched his body pulsate through the shower curtain when he did not know she was watching. It was a tone she did not have linked to a certain person, but she knew she needed to pick up. _Maybe George had left his phone at work or something and he was calling from a pay phone._ She thought.

"Hello?" Izzie said.

"Hello, may I speak to Isabel O'Malley." The man on the other end asked.

"Yes. This is her…" Izzie said, shaking.

"I wanted to inform you that your husband George O'Malley was in a car accident with a young woman, by the name of Hannah. He was too distraught to call you himself. Could you please come to the scene as soon as possible. We are at the corner of Shower Hill and Crest." He said.

"Yessss…I can…is he ok, is she ok?" Izzie asked, frantically.

Izzie began to pace up and down the steps.

"George seems to be fine. The EMTs are checking them both out. Your husband seems to be reluctant to getting any help. His leg is bleeding pretty bad, but he says he is ok and not in much pain." The man said.

"Well, he is a doctor…so that is why he is being stubborn. What about Hannah…is she ok?" Izzie asked.

"She is not doing too good, Mrs. O'Malley. You need to get here as soon as possible. I am going to let you go now, I need to get back to directing the traffic." He said.

"Ohhh. Ok. Thank you, sir." Izzie said.

"You are most welcome." He said.

Izzie closed her phone after talking with the officer and fell down on the step beside her and began to weep, rocking back and forth. She did not hear Mark's car as it pulled up, but soon was comforted by the sounds of Callie and Lexi's voices.

"Iz, are you ok? What's going on?" Callie asked, running towards her.

"Oh my gosh. Izzie." Lexi said, walking at a faster pace to catch up with Callie.

Callie and Izzie had gotten close over the past few years. _Surprising, huh?_ So, Callie was the one to rush to Izzie's side. Lexi was her friend too, but was not the girlfriend she called when she needed something, it was Callie she called.

Lexi, Mark, and Matt stood to the side as Callie consoled Izzie. They all had fear in their eyes. They could tell there was something wrong, and whatever it was, it was _serious_.

"What am I doing here? I need to go." Izzie said in a whisper, as if talking to herself.

"You need to go? Need to go where?" Callie asked.

"It's George." Izzie said, looking outward, not making any eye contact.

"What about George? Is he ok?" Callie asked.

"And Hannah." Izzie said.

"Are they ok? What is going on, Iz?" Callie asked, looking at her with more concern with every moment that passed.

"They were in a wreck and I have to go to them." Izzie said, tears in her eyes, as she looked up at Callie.

"Oh no. Iz... It's going to be ok." Callie said.

"No. It's not." Izzie said.

"What do you need me to do? Want me to come with you?" Callie asked.

"No. I can go by myself." Izzie said, as she stood up and began to dig in her jeans for her car keys. She then headed towards her car.

"No, Izzie. I am not going to let you drive in this condition; I don't want you getting in a wreck. George would never forgive me." Callie said, holding her hands out, wanting Izzie to give her the keys.

"I'll drive." Mark said, walking towards his car with Lexi in hand. "Come on."

"But someone has to watch Tuck and Brooklyn, they can't be worried…" Izzie said.

"It's ok, I will watch them and tell Miranda what is going on." Matt said.

"Ohhh. Okay. Thank you Matt." Izzie said.

"Yeah, thanks dear." Callie said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Just let me know when you hear anything, ok?" Matt said.

"Ok, we will." Callie yelled out, from the car.

* * *

They arrived to the intersection and before Mark could put the car in park, Izzie already had her door open and was stepping out onto the pavement. She saw George sitting in the end of one of the ambulances, staring off into space and ran over to him.

"Are you ok, you are bleeding?" Izzie asked, grabbing a hold of George tightly.

"I will be ok I guess. I am sooo sorry Iz…" George said, looking over towards the ditch.

"It's not your fault George...let me go see Hannah, I will be right back." Izzie said, as she jetted in the other direction towards the stretcher that lay a few feet from the pile of metal.

George was in complete shock as he sat there, with red soaked bandage wrapped tightly around his broken kneecap. He couldn't even remember how it happened. It all happened so fast. _What was I thinking taking that exit, in this weather? Why couldn't I have even remembered her last name? What is wrong with me?_ He thought.

* * *

Izzie could hear Hannah yelling as they pulled her from the wreckage and as she got closer she could make out what she was saying.

"I can't feel my legs! I can't feel my legs!" Hannah said.


End file.
